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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: samwisekoi on Tue, 23 October 2012, 18:57:49

Title: A4 & 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checkers (ANSI)
Post by: samwisekoi on Tue, 23 October 2012, 18:57:49
A while back, someone asked for a keycap checker that would fit onto an 8.5 x 11" sheet of US paper.  I had some time to put one together for ANSI keyboards, and there was enough room left over to add 1.5-1-1.5 1.5-1-1-1.5 for an alternative spacebar row.

Below are pics of the sheet and a test of the sheet using a set of Rosewill keycaps (that I replaced with a WASD set.)

I will also try to attach a pdf version.

I made this in Visio 2007, and would be happy to provide a source copy to anyone who wanted to make other versions.

Enjoy!

 - Ron | samwisekoi


[attachurl=3]
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: sth on Tue, 23 October 2012, 19:01:41
nice :)
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: hashbaz on Tue, 23 October 2012, 19:02:54
Well done, many have tried to achieve this before.



They tried and died.
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: jcrouse on Tue, 23 October 2012, 19:18:59
I'm curious, why not do 8.5 x 14 and include the Tsangan kit and numpad. It WILL all fit and it's still 8.5 wide so it will run through standard home printers.
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: samwisekoi on Tue, 23 October 2012, 19:22:52
I'm curious, why not do 8.5 x 14 and include the Tsangan kit and numpad. It WILL all fit and it's still 8.5 wide so it will run through standard home printers.

There is already one of those.  Someone had requested this topology, and I thought it would fit.

It did.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: samwisekoi on Tue, 23 October 2012, 19:26:26
nice :)

Well done, many have tried to achieve this before.

They tried and died.

Thanks.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

p.s.  According to Google Translate, "מהר שלל חש בז" means "Booty quickly felt Beige".

Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: hashbaz on Tue, 23 October 2012, 19:41:09
It's a long, not very interesting story.  Short version: it's a reference to the book of Isaiah and means "he has made haste to the plunder". ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maher-shalal-hash-baz
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: SmallFry on Tue, 23 October 2012, 19:51:36
Nice! I don't like the angled corners at much, but still mucho useful! Thank you! I like the red better than the other sheet however... :P
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: samwisekoi on Tue, 23 October 2012, 20:18:10
Nice! I don't like the angled corners at much, but still mucho useful! Thank you! I like the red better than the other sheet however... :P

Well, I am in the US, and apparently Apple owns the patent on rounded rectangles, so I didn't use them.   :'(

Did you mean you liked the red background on the alternate lower row keys?  I used red to distinguish them from "normal" keys.

I'm happy to make a more colorful version.  It would be good to segregate the numpad keys, etc,. anyhow.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: SmallFry on Tue, 23 October 2012, 20:38:28
I lol'd at the patent joke...I do like how you used the red to differentiate. Very useful...
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: samwisekoi on Wed, 24 October 2012, 12:19:00
Another version, this time with the keycap groups consolidated better (e.g. numpad all together.)  Also, more color-coding and I've improved the look with pseudo-3D rounded rectangles.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[attachurl=1]
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: modulor on Wed, 24 October 2012, 12:38:08
Excellent work!
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: rowdy on Wed, 24 October 2012, 18:21:16
I like this second one, and it just about prints on A4.  The top, say, 10% of the top row is cut off, but the rest fits on, including the accreditation at the bottom right.

Won't get much closer than that on A4 ;)
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: samwisekoi on Wed, 24 October 2012, 18:48:43
I like this second one, and it just about prints on A4.  The top, say, 10% of the top row is cut off, but the rest fits on, including the accreditation at the bottom right.

Won't get much closer than that on A4 ;)

I am sitting here waiting for a YouTube upload to process. I can do an A4 version, easy.  I've attempted to do a UK keycap set in A4. I cannot really validate it. 
(I also did an A4 ANSI version because it was trivially simple.)

Are there any errors?  Does they print to A4?

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[attachurl=1]
[attachurl=3]
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: demik on Wed, 24 October 2012, 20:08:44
you're a wizard harry! ron!
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: rowdy on Wed, 24 October 2012, 20:20:14
Brilliant!

Works perfectly :)

It is a tight fit.  I have only spare WASD key caps lying around, but these have to be touching each other to fit on the paper.  The previous chart allowed about 1/2mm between each key.  This is not a problem (unless there are key caps with slightly wider than usual bases).
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: samwisekoi on Wed, 24 October 2012, 20:37:29
Brilliant!

Works perfectly :)

It is a tight fit.  I have only spare WASD key caps lying around, but these have to be touching each other to fit on the paper.  The previous chart allowed about 1/2mm between each key.  This is not a problem (unless there are key caps with slightly wider than usual bases).

I'll scoot the keycaps apart by 2mm or so in the (my) morning.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Title: Re: 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checker (ANSI)
Post by: SmallFry on Wed, 24 October 2012, 20:38:38
You keep making it better and better so that I must keep printing more sheets! LoL! Great work. Thank you.
You should add the keys units for the stabilized keys.
Title: Re: A4 & 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checkers (ANSI)
Post by: samwisekoi on Thu, 25 October 2012, 11:28:49
Okay, I scooted the keycaps apart a bit.  It worked fine on the US paper, but I had to sacrifice something for print margins on A4, so some the "extra" modifiers will get clipped a bit, but should still be useable.

Re indicating units; if someone wants to send me a definitive list of key lengths (e.g Tab =1.25U). I'll try and include that on the grid.  Somehow.

Please advise how the A4 turned out when printed.

Thanks!

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[attachurl=1]
[attachurl=2]
Title: Re: A4 & 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checkers (ANSI)
Post by: SmallFry on Thu, 25 October 2012, 12:08:03
Just put the units on the keycaps, like the other ones floating arround... *rummage for PDF for you*
(http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=ae397ad5dec9dcac1cf8902258ac4def&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fgeekhack.org%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D33475.msg642036%23msg642036&v=1&libid=1351184792591&out=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FcupKs.png&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fgeekhack.org%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D36803.msg694796&title=REQUEST%3A%20can%20someone%20fashion%20a%20keycap%20checking%20table%20that%20fits%20on%20letter%20paper%3F&txt=%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FcupKs.png%22%20alt%3D%22%22%20width%3D%22300%22%20height%3D%22182%22%20class%3D%22bbc_img%22%3E&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13511848089111)
Title: Re: A4 & 8.5 x 11" Keycap Checkers (ANSI)
Post by: rowdy on Thu, 25 October 2012, 16:20:03
The A4 one is fine.  It is still a tight fit horizontally, but vertically there is now a slight gap between each row.

Tight fit = the key caps have to be touching the ones on the left and right, but the few spare ones I have lying around here fit perfectly.